Hi, I'm an English teacher who's been teaching in HCMC for 2 years. I have a CELTA and was considering doing a DELTA. However I don't have a degree. Research tells me that the DELTA is not the equivalent of a BA and all the best jobs (and with schools that check if you have the correct qualifications unlike the one I work for now) require a degree. I want a career in ELT which the possibility of progress and promotion in a good school. Any degree course would take longer and cost more than a DELTA, however is it pointless doing a DELTA if I don't have a degree?

This is a tricky question and from my own experience, varies from school to school. Here's just one example; I was offered a position at a school once, which offered the DELTA to its employees part-time over two years. I asked if it would be possible for me to do it, and they said that it would be very unlikely as I didn't have a degree. In fact, it was as if they had already decided to fail me. The attitude was so negative.

I questioned this need for a degree, and they said that graduates were more used to the workload. Well, I knew one or two people who had previously done the DELTA who did not have a degree.

So, there you go. Even if the Cambridge ESOL website doesn't specify the need for a degree in order to do the DELTA, many places will insist that you do.

My advice... perhaps just start a degree and play it by ear. You could even find a school that offers the DELTA to its employees and if they let you, do the DELTA while studying for a degree. That way, you could have the best of both worlds.

Hello,I think it depends on where you would like to work. In some places a degree is preferable to a Diploma. I know that the Diploma is very well received in many countries and does help you make that jump into more senior/ management positions and teacher training etc.There are courses where the Diploma counts for part of the degree, so you could do the Diploma and then continue if you thought it worth it. I am involved in teaching on a Trinity diploma course and many of our grads have gone on to study an MA Tesol distance with good results. Let me know if you have any more questions and I would be happy to help.